How the hell does this happen??

[alexjohnson16]

Automobile racing, regardless of the venue, is a dangerous business. It goes without saying that those who participate in the racing universe and those who ardently follow the action from the safety of the grandstands or their TV rooms understand the risks. But even the most rock steady fan of the NHRA and its Lucas Oil Sportsman division has truly been shaken and saddened by the freak accident in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday evening that claimed the life of Top Alcohol Dragster star Shelly Howard and her son, Brian. According to reports, the 59-year-old Shelly was making a test pass in a newly delivered racecar at Tulsa Raceway Park when the dragster's front end lifted vertically somewhere near half-track, sending it into an uncontrollable blowover. The car crashed heavily back onto the racing surface facing the starting line. Then, with her husband, Paul, looking on helplessly, the racecar accelerated back toward the starting line at high speed, crashing into the team's tow vehicle which was parked at the starting line with Shelly's son, 36-year-old Brian, sitting inside the cab. Shelly and Brian lost their lives almost simultaneously in what those in attendance have described as one of the sport's most horrifying mishaps. Police estimated the car hit the truck at 250 mph. And while the accident itself is an unspeakably freakish tragedy, the circumstances and magnitude of the two lives ultimately lost seem to add an even greater dimension of inexplicable sadness to what was witnessed. Shelly Howard was a standout racer, a former Division 4 champion, a former registered nurse who won respect from everyone she encountered with her quiet manner, unquestioned driving skills, and devotion to her family, fans and crew. She also leaves behind two daughters, Jennifer and Tracy, and a legion of friends who came to know and admire her through her NHRA exploits. Info on services can be found at shellyhoward.com.(ESPN.com)(4-5-2005)

Its beyond me how a dragster stays together through a blowover and lands facing the direction it was coming from...

Either way thats sad, wonder what it'd look like to see a dragster hit a hauler at 250 mph...

 

[T3C]

wow that is sad

 

[FrustratedUser]

:Q

 

[fs5]

you mean it blew over and landed facing the other and kept accelerating to the starting line? that's crazy.

 

[Kalvin00]

That's horrible...

R.I.P

 

[alexjohnson16]

I'd imagine the blowover knocked her unconscious and her foot was on the throttle, seen that happen once at the Knoxville Nationals... Luckily the left rear tire fell off in the crash, so this guy just spun around, otherwise it could've been really bad...

 

[Platypus]

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

 

[CRXican]

wow, you think it would have shut down after flying into the air and landing hard

talk about bad luck

 

[halik]

damn any vids?

 

[Heisenberg]

:Q

Holy crap!

 

[CaptnKirk]

That's really sad, I knew Paul & Shelly.

Shelly Howard

 

[Crucial]

:camera:'s

 

[trmiv]

That's a pretty freak accident, very strange circumstance.

Sometimes odd stuff like that happens. When my dad was racing (sprint cars) one time, he was going down the back straight, and the right rear wheel/tire came off the car. Apparently one of his crew guys didn't get it tightened enough. Well the wheel went bouncing, and hit a person (right in the face) that was watching from in back of a chain-link fence. There were like 100-150 people along this fence, all close together. The wheel managed to hit the wife of the crew guy that didn't tighten the wheel good enough. How weird is that? Luckily she lived, but man was she messed up.

 

[FoBoT]

very bizarre and sad

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: trmiv
That's a pretty freak accident, very strange circumstance.

Sometimes odd stuff like that happens. When my dad was racing (sprint cars) one time, he was going down the back straight, and the right rear wheel/tire came off the car. Apparently one of his crew guys didn't get it tightened enough. Well the wheel went bouncing, and hit a person (right in the face) that was watching from in back of a chain-link fence. There were like 100-150 people along this fence, all close together. The wheel managed to hit the wife of the crew guy that didn't tighten the wheel good enough. How weird is that? Luckily she lived, but man was she messed up.

Wow very tragic

Koing

 

[2cpuminimum]

That reminds me of the helicopter accident during the filming of the twilight zone movie back in the eighties. Horrid.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Tragic, but I want to see video of this.

 

[chambersc]

I dont know if this was in the OP but what happened was when she did a blowover thing she hit the wall going ackwards then started going forward (to the start line) where she crashed again.

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: Crucial
:camera:'s

my first thought exactly...

what are the odds of that happening?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: alexjohnson16
I'd imagine the blowover knocked her unconscious and her foot was on the throttle, seen that happen once at the Knoxville Nationals... Luckily the left rear tire fell off in the crash, so this guy just spun around, otherwise it could've been really bad...

or maybe the throttle linkage got f*cked and stuck open...which means she would have seen the whole thing sad

 

[slick230]

Wait for it...

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: slick230
Wait for it...

that'll buff right out?

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: quakefiend420

Originally posted by: slick230
Wait for it...

that'll buff right out?

Nope. Waiting to see how long it takes for the nazi's to come hollering.

 

[Calin]

Top Alcohol Dragster - I want to race on alcohol too...
What might have been happened is the race car hadn't enough downlift on the front (for increasing traction on the rear wheels, those drag cars are engineered to have as much weigth/downlift as possible on the rear wheels. You could easily pull the front up if the car was standing, but you would need a forklift to raise the rear.
I saw things like that with high speed boats (when the front raises and then the boat take over and fly)

 

[brigden]

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: quakefiend420

Originally posted by: slick230
Wait for it...

that'll buff right out?

Nope. Waiting to see how long it takes for the nazi's to come hollering.

I'll go...

It's unfortunately two people perished, but the woman's death isn't tragic. She was racing a bomb on wheels. She assumed the risks. Her son's death was tragic.